The Real Marriage Equality Issue

Why are we begging the federal government to allow us to marry who we love? Shouldn’t we just be able to? Why must the federal government of the United States of America dictate every aspect of our lives?

It is this point that many people are missing; a bigger picture that is not being addressed in the midst of a bandwagon Facebook campaign in support of legalizing same-sex marriage.

Why are the so-called ‘free’ people of this great nation begging the U.S. government to give them rights that they should already have without the government? Why can’t marriage be a private institution with no ties to the government whatsoever?

The issue of marriage equality, like most issues, isn’t as much about equality or inequality as it is about the federal government vs. the state governments and whether a person believes the federal government should have the authority to dictate all aspects of life.

When the government issues marriage licenses, is it not just another way for them to tax? What if anyone, gay, straight, polygamist, etc, didn’t have to ask permission from any government agency to get married? Wouldn’t that be true freedom?

The very concept of government sponsored marriage is antiquated and has its origins in the Church of England where the church and the state were one in the same. Now, it has become a political tool for career politicians on both sides of the aisle. Imagine how powerful they must feel holding this over the American people? If marriage were a private institution without ties to the government, then people would already be free to marry the person they love.

America’s founding fathers believed that the States were the laboratories of democracy. Allowing states to have different laws and different tax systems is the beauty of America’s political system but is sadly disappearing as the federal government continues to grow bigger. In years past, if one didn’t like the laws of a state, they could move to another. It is why businesses are moving from California to Texas, because their laws and tax system are far more business friendly. Under this system, getting a law passed that says you can marry whoever you want want would be much easier because you are going through the State government, which is smaller and must be more in touch with its constituents.

Many forget that “rights” do not come from the federal government. The Constitution, in particular, The Bill of Rights, were written as negative liberties for the government, using phrases such as “Congress shall make no law…”

Same-sex marriage isn’t being restricted. It is legal in a number of states. It would be more accurate to say that the states are restricting same-sex marriage. Whether a person is for or against this, the federal government telling people which rights they have is a dangerous thing.

 

[pieces of this conversation first appeared on Facebook and have been placed in this story. Rich Gambrill contributed to this story]